This invention is directed to a locking structure having a sliding bolt which is capable of being utilized as either a right hand or a left hand locking mechanism. Further, the locking structure is a protected locking structure wherein a lock utilized to lock the locking structure is protected against unauthorized access as, for instance, utilizing bolt cutters or the like to sever the shackle of the lock.
A variety of locking structures are known for use on doors as, for instance, garage doors. These range from easily circumvented structures such as a typical latch mechanism which slides back and forth sideways and engages a round opening in the door frame and is secured with a padlock to very sophisticated and expensive integrally formed locking mechanisms.
A garage door secured with a typical latch mechanism and a padlock is very easily broken into by either severing the padlock with bolt cutters or prying the latch mechanism with a crowbar or the like.
While certain very sophisticated locking mechanisms overcome the disadvantages of the common latch mechanism, they are normally complicated in their operation and construction and thus expensive. This has inhibited their widespread use. Further more, since many garage doors can be locked either on their right side or their left side and since many of the complicated locking mechanisms are available in only a single "handed" orientation, i.e. either a left handed mechanism or a right handed mechanism, in certain instances, these single "handed" locking mechanisms can not be positioned on the side of the door which might be the most desirable.
Additionally, depending upon the security desired and the hinge mechanism utilized for the garage door, it is sometimes desirable to have a locking mechanism on both the right and left hand side of the door. Since many of the more complicated locking mechanisms are not available in both a right and left hand sided model this also prevents their use on both sides of a typical garage door.
While it is theoretically possible to simply rotate a "single handed" locking mechanism 180.degree. so it can be used on the opposite side of a door, this too is not without its problems. In many instances the mechanism will not operate smoothly when oriented in an upside down orientation and/or this exposes the keyslot of a lock utilized to lock this mechanism to environmental elements such as dust, rain and the like.